Melt the smen, or ghee in the base of a tagine or a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, stir in the garlic, ginger, coriander and ground saffron.
Add the lamb cutlets and sprinkle over the onions.
Pour in just enough water to cover the meat, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for 1 hour.
Stir in the preserved lemon rind and season with salt and pepper.
Continue to cook gently, covered, for about 20 minutes to let the flavours mingle.
Meanwhile, prepare the garnish.
Boil the eggs in a saucepan of boiling water for about 4 minutes so that the yolks are just firm.
Drain, allow the eggs to cool slightly, then shell them.
Dissolve the ground saffron with 2 tablespoons of warm water in a small bowl and roll the boiled eggs in the yellow liquid to colour them.
Cut the eggs in half lengthways and set aside.
Heat the oil and butter in a small frying pan over a medium heat, stir in the almonds and cook for 3 minutes until golden brown.
Scatter the almonds over the tagine and arrange the halved eggs around the edge.
Serve immediately with crusty bread and a leafy salad, if liked.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
For lamb tfaia with olives,
follow the method as for Lamb tfaia with almonds & eggs cooking the cutlets. Replace the preserved lemon rind with 175 g pitted Kalamata olives and omit the garnish of eggs and almonds. Scatter a small bunch of finely chopped parsley over the tagine and serve with chunks of crusty bread.
